This invention relates to nut-type reel mounting apparatus which are provided for fishing rods and more particularly to a reel mounting apparatus having a click mechanism for generating a click sound by rotating nuts.
Nut-type reel mounting apparatus for fishing rods are generally called reel seats provided to cylindrical seats and casting handles. Such a reel mounting apparatus comprises a seat body having a retaining portion for retaining one side of a fishing-reel fitting leg portion and a male screw portion, a moving hood having a retaining portion for retaining the other side of the fishing-reel fitting leg portion, and a nut member which has a female screw portion and is used for moving the moving hood along the seat body. Incidentally, the seat body is formed integrally with the fishing rod or formed separately therefrom and then fixed to the fishing rod.
In the reel-mounting apparatus thus arranged, the nut member is rotated while the one side of the fishing-reel fitting leg portion is retained by the retaining portion of the seat body. When the retaining portion of the moving hood is set close to the retaining portion of the seat body, the other side of the fishing-reel fitting leg portion is retained by the retaining portion of the moving hood. The nut member is then clamped (rotated) in this state to force the nut member to contact the moving hood, whereby the fishing-reel fitting leg portion is strongly clamped by both the retaining portions of the moving hood and the seat body. Thus, the fishing reel is firmly fixed to the fishing rod.
However, some of the reel-mounting apparatus are equipped with slackening preventive mechanisms for preventing nut members from being loosened. For example, JP-A-10-52195 discloses a reel mounting apparatus having a slackening preventive mechanism including a plurality of round holes provided on a nut member side and arranged along the peripheral direction of the nut member, and positioning pins provided on a moving hood side and urged by a spring toward the holes. In the reel mounting apparatus, the nut member is prevented from being loosened when the positioning pins are retained by the holes and as the nut member rotates, the positioning pins are repeatedly attached to and detached from the holes with the effect of producing click sounds.
The click sound produced as the nut member rotates is useful in that the user is informed of the clamped condition of the nut member and the like. However, because the slackening preventive mechanism functions mainly as a nut member stopper, there arise some problems when the mechanism is utilized for causing the click sound. The problems will now be described with the slackening preventive mechanism hereinafter called a click mechanism.
As mentioned above, the click mechanism in the reel-mounting apparatus disclosed in JP-A-10-52195 is mainly intended for utilization as a nut member stopper. Consequently, the moving hood is forced to contact the nut member via the click mechanism, and the rotation of the nut member relative to the moving hood is regulated by the retained condition between the positioning pins and the holes that are kept in contact with each other.
In the reel-mounting apparatus disclosed in JP-A-10-52195, moreover, a projected portion diametrally projecting outward is formed in a part of the moving hood in order to separately secure a space for the click mechanism. The positioning pins are disposed in the projected portion and a ring portion having holes for retaining the positioning pins is secured to the nut member and positioned between the moving hood and the nut member, that is, in the pressure contact portion between the moving hood and the nut member.
However, the formation of the projected portion for use in disposing the positioning pins in part of the moving hood like this results in forming a difference in level on the outer surface of the moving hood, thus posing a problem in that the fingers may be caught by the difference in level during the operation (at the time of fishing) (or deteriorating the operability).
According to the prior art disclosed in JP-A-10-52195, as the click mechanism is made to function as the pressure contact portion, the click sound may be lowered or may not be produced when the nut member is strongly clamped (the nut-member clamping condition may not be notified by the sound).
According to the prior art disclosed in JP-A-10-52195, further, the nut member is stopped from rotating by the pressure contact force between the positioning pins and the holes. When a great load is applied to the positioning pins in their pivotal direction because of the excessive tightening of the nut member, the nut member may be secured too firmly and may not be loosened. Therefore, the durability of the click mechanism is lowered and this would make its long-term use difficult.
According to the prior art disclosed in JP-A-10-52195, further, the outer peripheral portion of the ring portion where the holes are formed is diametrally projected outward from the moving hood like the projected portion so as to face the projected portion (so as to retain the positioning pins by the holes). Accordingly, the outer peripheral sites of the ring portion without facing the projected portion are left exposed outwardly in the diametral direction of the moving hood. In other words, some of the holes free from engaging with the positioning pins are left exposed outwardly. Therefore, there is the possibility that dust, sand and the like may enter the holes disengaging from the positioning pins at the time of fishing or otherwise the fingers soiled with krill and the like may touch the ring portion and clog the holes therewith, thus causing the nut member to malfunction (not pivot).